An Easter Message from Bishop John F. White, NCC Vice-President
Christ is risen, alleluia!
I bring you Easter greetings on behalf of the 37 Christian communions which gather together as the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA.
Easter is the season when Christians, in our common faith and life, reflect upon and celebrate the full and dynamic meaning of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christ's resurrection happened once for all. Christ's resurrection happened once for all. Many Christians are celebrating that glorious event on April 8, and Orthodox Christians celebrated Easter April 15. Despite this and other differences among our many traditions, we remain united in covenant community as the National Council of Churches by our common confession of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
As a community of Christian communions, we strive to deepen our relationships with each other based on the prayer of Jesus for his followers in the Gospel of John, which he prayed right before his passion, death, and resurrection:
| As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth. I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. John 17:18-23, New Revised Standard Version |
One way we can honor Christ's prayer is to contribute to the shared life and ministry of the National Council of Churches, which joins together 40 million Christians from more than 100,000 congregations in 37 diverse Christian traditions through our common commitment to follow Jesus Christ. The NCC has a long history of living into the visible unity to which Christ calls us and of witnessing together Christ's call for justice and peace.
I invite you to consider a resurrection gift to the National Council of Churches as a way of participating in our shared ministry: nurturing Christian unity; advocating for justice and peace in our world, including justice for women, eco-justice, and racial justice; working to end poverty; encouraging loving relationships with interfaith neighbors, supporting Christian faith formation, developing new church leaders, promoting the Bible in Christian life, and other vital ministries. Your gift will make a world of difference as, together, we follow the path of Christ.
Give Online
Donate now with your credit card via PayPal:
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Give by Mail
Send a check or money order to:
National Council of Churches
Attn: Easter 2012 Resurrection Gifts
475 Riverside Drive, Ste 800
New York, NY 10115-0050
More Ways to Give
Consider including NCC in your will or life insurance policies, making gifts of stocks and securities, or other giving options at: www.ncccusa.org/donate
Thank you for your help in supporting the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Through your gift, you help us all to live out the prayer of Christ together!
God bless,
p.s. Look for the Greek Orthodox Easter service to be broadcast on NBC, featuring His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America celebrating the Divine Liturgy of Pascha (Easter). This programming is co-sponsored by NCC as part of the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission.
Also, as we approach Earth Day Sunday on April 22, the NCC Eco-Justice Program invites you to download and use The Ethics of Energy, a free education and worship resource. Creation is brimming with energy and we are called to acknowledge the abundance of God's Creation and to care for Creation including our "neighbors."
